Benue: Suspects held for staging fake kidnapping to extort ransom

The Benue State Police Command said it has arrested two female suspects who allegedly staged a fake kidnapping and conspired to deceive a family into paying a ransom.

The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Peter Aondona, and made available to journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday.

The commissioner explained that: “On 15th July 2026, a report was received by the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Makurdi, that one Miss Mary Torkuma of Akpehe, Makurdi, had left her apartment on 12th July 2026 to visit a friend at North Bank area of Makurdi.

“The following day, her mother, who resides in Lagos State, received a telephone call from an unknown number demanding ransom and claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped.

“Upon receipt of the report, operatives of the VCRU immediately commenced an intelligence-driven investigation which led the team to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi, where the supposed victim, Mary Torkuma, was found alongside her accomplice, Miss Evergreen Samuel, who had travelled from Abia State.”

He said preliminary investigations revealed that the two suspects allegedly conspired to stage the kidnapping with the intention of extorting money from the victim’s mother by falsely claiming that Mary had been abducted.

The suspects are currently in police custody while investigations continue. They will be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The Commissioner of Police warned members of the public against engaging in criminal acts, including staging false kidnapping incidents, stressing that such offences divert critical security resources from genuine emergencies and are punishable under the law.

He further assured residents of the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and encouraged members of the public to promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest police formation or through the command’s emergency lines: 08066006475 and 07067374913.